Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a system and method for installing an antenna module, such as an antenna hub amplifier, in a gateway antenna of a satellite communication network. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method which supports and aligns an antenna module during installation in the gateway antenna.
Background Information
As understood in the art, satellite communication systems include a plurality of terrestrially mounted gateways that communicate with one or more orbiting satellites. Each satellite gateway includes an antenna dish assembly, which typically includes an antenna feed and other types of equipment such a transceiver, hub amplifiers, waveguides and so on which enable communication between the satellite gateway and one or more of the orbiting satellites. The satellite gateway and a satellite typically communicate with each other over a radio frequency link, such as a Ku-band link, a Ka-band link or any other suitable type of link. For example, the Ku-band is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies ranging from 10 GHz to 18 GHz, and the Ka band is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies ranging from 17 GHz to 40 GHz.
During initial installation of the antenna dish assembly, equipment such as the antenna dish, antenna feed, transceiver, hub amplifiers, waveguides and so on are usually mounted to the antenna dish assembly before the antenna dish assembly is mounted to the antenna dish assembly base. Some of the equipment such as the hub amplifier can be mounted after the dish assembly is mounted to the base. Typically, the antenna dish assembly base mounts the antenna dish assembly a considerable distance about the ground, such as six feet or more. Equipment such as the hub amplifiers are usually mounted to the antenna dish assembly by bolts so that such equipment can be replaced as necessary. During replacement of a hub amplifier, or at initial installation of the replaceable components, the antenna dish assembly remains mounted to the antenna dish assembly base, and the antenna dish itself is oriented as appropriate, for example, to point in a horizontal direction to allow for access by the technician from the side. However, equipment such as the hub amplifiers, in particular, are relatively heavy and can weigh in excess of fifty pounds. Therefore, it can be burdensome for a technician to securely hold the hub amplifier while loosening the bolts to remove the hub amplifier from the antenna dish assembly. It can be even more burdensome for a technician to hold the hub amplifier in place while tightening the bolts to secure the hub amplifier to the antenna dish assembly. Therefore, it is often necessary for two technicians to participate in the hub amplifier removal and installation process in the field.